Bubblegum
by kerouthestrange
Summary: He'd popped like bubblegum. But unlike GoGo's gum, Tadashi Hamada was never coming back. / Tomadashi (AU in which they attended high school together.)


**A/N:** I forgot I had a fanfiction account so I'll just move some fics from tumblr to here. I actually don't write fanfiction often and this was my first in 84 years and only because Tomadashi ruined my life.

* * *

><p>He hadn't just gone.<p>

He'd popped. Like bubblegum.

That sounded like a way too cheerful means of putting it. It was almost morbid, and GoGo began wondering if something was seriously wrong with her, like she wasn't reacting properly.

But it was true, wasn't it? He'd finally finished Baymax. His brother had just won his little trophy for his microbots. In one second, he'd been so happy, so full of _life_, and then… _Pop!_ Gone.

She couldn't clarify her thoughts if she tried. Not that she spoke much nowadays. Her mouth felt like it had to be pried open, the words felt like piercing daggers when they tried to escape her lips. No, better she keep silent unless she wanted to burst into tears for no reason.

She hadn't been such an avid gum chewer at first. If anything, it irritated her. She hated when she studied anywhere (coffee shop, library, wherever), and then, somewhere in the corner—_munch, munch, pop! Munch, munch, pop!_

It wasn't until one particular morning at the library—when fifteen-year-old Leiko Tanaka had a test the next morning to study for—that it'd pushed her to her limit.

…

"Will you cut that out?" she snapped, glaring at the perpetrator.

Tenth-grader Tadashi Hamada made one last _pop!_ before sucking the sticky wad back in his mouth and saying, "Sorry."

"What do you need to chew so much gum for, anyway?" she grumbled, immediately turning back to her notes. Her face always turned this stupid _red_ color whenever she saw that boy.

"I have a test today."

"And I have a test tomorrow. What's that have to do with anything?"

"So there's this thing—" He'd resumed chewing. "I read it online. If you chew some flavor of gum while you study, then if you chew the same flavor the next day it'll help you remember what you studied."

"What? That's ridiculous."

"It worked for me last week," he protested, fiddling with his cap. They were still in their uniforms, but he usually put it back on as soon as school ended just because he liked it so much.

"I doubt it was the gum."

"I'm flattered by your faith in me, but you know, I think the gum helped just a little."

She rolled her eyes, although she was trying her best to stifle a smile. "You shut up. I have a test to study for, and it's really tricky."

"C'mon, just try it. Hiro gave me the rest of his pack today."

"So it's for you, isn't it? Look, this isn't my best subject…"

"He was also telling me, 'You should give some to GoGo! That way, she'll—'" A strange cough interrupted his sentence, and Leiko swore his cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. "Anyway, he thought it was a good idea, too. Do you want me to go home and tell him Big Sis GoGo rejected his offer?" He held out a stick.

Leiko groaned. He knew she had a soft spot for a kid. Then an idea hit her. "How about we make it a bet?" she suggested, grinning coyly. "If I get better than I expect—and I mean, completely ace it—I'll admit the gum works."

"Ha. You got it. Loser buys boba."

"Deal."

"That's really odd. You're betting you'll fail?"

"No. You only win if I get full marks. And I don't usually get higher than a B on the tests in this class."

"You're weird," Tadashi remarked, grinning. "Oh, before I forget—you want a ride home today?"

Leiko's eyes darted to the window, spotting the sunlight glistening on the rusty old bicycle chained outside."What if people see?"

"We never cared before," he mumbled, sounding a little disheartened. They'd given each other bike rides home a million times before—someone controlled the bike while the other sat behind. Usually she was better at controlling it, but lately something felt different about it. Maybe it was the peers who stared and gossiped, maybe it was because they'd just noticed the closeness and intimacy of it…

"Right. I don't care now, either. Yeah, I could use a ride home."

…

She'd bought him strawberry-flavored boba. That she remembered clearly. Afterwards, she thought there might be something to this bubblegum business, and before she knew it, she was buying packs of it weekly.

"What have I done?" Tadashi would mumble to himself as she popped her gum smugly while he tried to focus on some robotic construction.

_Pop!_

She'd chewed for every test afterwards.

_Pop!_

He'd told her he had something important to tell her. His face was red and voice shaky, and she was still chewing.

_Pop!_

"You really have to do that now?" he'd asked, their hands clasped together.

_Pop!_

She'd blown one right before his lips could touch hers. Just to tease him. He wasn't too amused.

_Pop!_

"It's graduation, GoGo. Really?"

_Pop!_

_Pop!_

_Pop!_

And then he was gone. The flames burst like one of her bubblegum pops, and then he was gone forever.

She felt like choking as she left the strawberry boba at the tombstone. She shouldn't be lighting his incense, she shouldn't be praying for him.

He'd popped and left. But unlike bubblegum, she'd never get another Tadashi Hamada.

And then she couldn't stop chewing.


End file.
